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Wednesday, 12 November 2014

Fenugreek is called vendhayam in Tamil, menthulu in Telugu, methi in Hindi and it's botanical name is Trigonella Foenum Graecum. Fenugreek | vendhayam has amazing hair, skin and health benefits. I have grown up seeing my family use vendhayam extensively for home remedies. Last week, when I was talking to my grandmother about remedies using vendhayam, I was surprised at the number of home remedies that we use fenugreek seeds. I am trying to record all the home remedies of each herb separately, as I thought it will be easier for everyone to find out completely about the herb without searching for the remedies, individually. I always feel happy when the home remedy involves common kitchen ingredients, as everyone will be able to use it. Fenugreek is one such ingredient that I love and when I was younger, there was always homemade roasted fenugreek powder at home and before even I complain of stomachache, I will know that my mom will resort to fenugreek for treating my stomach ache. There will also be a huge bottle of honey always at home that is usually got from the local forest. Fenugreek powder when mixed with honey is the best home remedy for stomach ache due to indigestion. Since we were living in a village, booking an appointment and then going to the doctor was done, only in emergencies. We always resort to these simple home remedies that work wonders. Fenugreek is also a wonderful ingredient that solves all the problems of the hair. It arrests even the worst hair fall, when combined together with a sensible diet and as far as I know is the best home remedy for dandruff. Fenugreek is also wonderful for diabetic patients, as it stabilizes the blood sugar levels, when included in the diet. In my humble opinion, we should learn to use fenugreek in both our diet and for external applications more. The only thing that we have to remember when using fenugreek for our hair is fenugreek is very cooling. So if you have a sinus infection, please don't use fenugreek on the hair as a hair pack, as it will worsen the problem, however you can use fenugreek hair oil instead...

VENDHYAYAM | FENUGREEK FOR HAIR :

1.Fenugreek | Vendhayam Hair Mask for Hair Fall: I
always had dandruff from my young age. When I was younger, they used to
apply this fenugreek seeds hair mask (methi hair mask) regularly on my
hair and let it soak for 20 minutes before washing my hair. This
fenugreek hair mask treats dandruff and stimulates hair growth and to
this day, I continue using this hair mask. This hair mask is made with
fenugreek powder and fresh yogurt. The best thing about this hair mask
is it is mess free, it does not drip on the clothes. After using this
hair mask, you will find your hair silky smooth. Many people don't like
the smell of fenugreek on their hair, but once you shampoo your hair
after using the hair mask, the smell completely goes away. This hair mask always agrees with me, and sometimes I even leave it on my hair for 1 hour. However if you are prone to sinus infection, try not to use the mask. If you are using it for the first time, start with 5 minutes and then increase the time to 15 minutes soaking time. This hair mask can be used by both men & women. You can find step by step instructions on how to do it here2. Fenugreek | Vendhayam Hair Oil: This hair oil is so very effective for treating premature greying and for conditioning the hair. This hair oil is for people who cannot use fenugreek hair mask. Fenugreek hair mask is very effective and using both the fenugreek oil and the hair mask is a great hair treatment, but if you have sinus infection, try using this oil as a pre shampoo treatment. This oil is very very good as a pre shampoo treatment. This hair oil preparation needs a little patience to make. Fresh Aloe Vera leaf is cut and fenugreek seeds are sprinkled in the middle and tied. The next day, the seeds would have sprouted, now take the seeds and dry it completely in the sun and immerse it in coconut oil. I will give step by step instructions on how to do it very soon.

VENDHYAYAM | FENUGREEK FOR SKIN :3. Vendhayam | Fenugreek Powder for Itchy Skin: Some people suffer from itchy skin, even small insect bites will trigger intense itchiness of the skin. A simple homemade bath powder made with 350 gms of fenugreek, 100 gms of turmeric, 100 gms of kasthuri turmeric & 100 gms of white turmeric and used as a bath powder eliminates body itching very effectively. To make this powder, sun dry all the ingredients and powder it finely and store in an air tight container. When you suffer from itching, take this powder and mix it into a paste with water and apply all over the body, wait for few minutes before washing it off. on the day you are using this powder, make sure not to use soap or other chemicals on the skin. Even people prone to skin allergies will benefit from using this powder.4. Fenugreek | Vendhayam for Stomach Disorders:

This
home remedy is very common in our home. This home remedy is used, when
we have stomach cramps accompanied by diarrhea. We call it " Vaitru
kaduppu" in Tamil. This problem commonly occurs when we eat out a lot
and consume very greasy foods. When I was younger, this is one home
remedy that I was ready to eat any time because it has honey. In my
personal experience, I feel when we have an ailment, home remedies that
involves common kitchen ingredients are the best. Because when we or any
of our family members are in pain, the last thing we want to do is
search for an ingredient. So I make it a point to collect and post
remedies that are handy and easy to make, so everyone can benefit out of
it. This remedy is truly wonderful for children, as I have been using
it for years now. For this home remedy, fenugreek is fried in an empty
kadai till golden and it is powdered finely in a mortar and pestle. The
powder is mixed with good quality honey. It is easier to make the
children eat it, as the fenugreek taste is masked by the sweetness of
honey. Give this powder thrice with an interval of 2 hrs. Writing these
remedies that I have grown up with, gives me so much pleasure.

5. Fenugreek Tea:

A simple tea made with fenugreek seeds reduces hot flushes in women, increases blood supply in women, stabilizes blood sugar levels, and is very good for people suffering from constipation. Making this tea is simplicity itself, take fenugreek seeds and crush lightly using a mortar and pestle, now take them in a pot and add hot water to it, let it steep for a few minutes before straining. You can sweeten with honey too. This tea has been consumed all over the world for it's wonderful benefits.

6. Fenugreek | Vendhayam for Convalescence:

Usually after getting fever, our body will be weak and will not be able to digest heavy foods. So we usually make a porridge | Kanji with fenugreek seeds and broken rice and give to the patients. This is easy on the stomach and heals them faster. Grind 1/4 cup of rice coarsely in a dry mixer and take it in a cooker along with a tsp of fenugreek seeds and cook till mushy. Now remove the lid and add 1/4 cup of fresh coconut milk along with a bit of salt. Do not boil it for longer, just heat it lightly and switch off. The mixture should be like a runny soup. Both coconut milk and fenugreek heals wounds caused in the stomach after a course of antibiotics taken for fever.

7. Fenugreek | Vendhayam for Sore Throat:

Fenugreek infusion made by boiling fenugreek seeds with water to a thicker concentrate, when used as a gargle relieves sore throat. To make this home remedy, soak fenugreek for an hour and then boil with the same soaked water for 15 to 20 minutes in a very low flame. Once it is cooked, strain and while it is still war, mix little bit of salt to it and gargle with this infusion. People with sore throat can use this infusion to gargle often to get rid of sore throat fast.

8. Fenugreek | Vendhayam for Diabetes: Fenugreek seeds are amazing for diabetic patients. It is hard to consume to fenugreek seeds but if you soak them in water overnight, it is much easier to eat them. We include fenugreek seeds in our diet in a number of ways, we include it in our seasonings, make dosais, include it all our batters, etc. All the dishes mad with vendhayam keeps us fuller for a longer period of time reducing un wanted cravings. I have never struggled for adding fenugreek in the diet because all our traditional dishes include fenugreek. If you are a diabetic, try not to eat out a lot and consume our traditional foods like vendhaya dosai, vendhaya porridge along with other whole grain recipes to stabilize the blood sugar levels.9. Fenugreek | Vendhayam for Lactating mothers: Fenugreek seeds are very good for lactating mothers. In many parts of India, fenugreek halwa made with fenugreek seeds and jaggery is given to newly delivered moms. This halwa increases immunity and strengthens immune system of new moms. This halwa also increases the breast milk supply, try to include fenugreek seeds more in the diet, if you are a lactating mother.10. Fenugreek | Vendhayam Poultice for Inflamed Skin: Fenugreek poultice is very effective for treating inflamed skin. To make the poultice, take fenugreek and soak it in water for an hour. Grind it finely in a mixer, powder dry ginger and add to the ground paste. Now heat the mixture in a low flame, till it is slightly warm and apply this paste on the inflamed areas. You will find this remedy very effective for treating inflammation

Fenugreek is a wonderful spice !. Ramya's post is so informative and useful and we should be thankful to her .I have been consuming it for more than a year as a home remedy to cure diabetes ( in addition to metformin tablets) and have noticed good results, probably due to the fact that fenugreek is said to promote insulin secretion naturally. I usually soak a teaspoon of fenugreek seeds in water for more than 12 hrs and consume both the water as well as the soaked seeds first thing in the morning. In addition to its proven anti diabetic uses, it has also proved to be a good bowel cleanser.Also I am free from heartburn and aciditiy, which I occassionally used to suffer from. I wish and hope more and more people should make the best use of this easily available & inexpensive spice and reap its wonderful benefits.

Fenugreek does have anti fertility properties but if only taken in very large doses, you can read the study that was done on the anti fertility effect of fenugreek seeds here (copy and paste the link in the browser): http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=fenugreek+antifertility

Hi sir, You can take vendhayam in any form and it will be helpful. If you are a diabetic make sure to check your blood sugar levels often as taking both vendhayam and diabetic medications will lower your blood sugar levels way too much...

Ramya, I read your post, very informative. My daughter (17 year old) have severe dandruff and applying the methi paste on regular intervals, there is an improvement. But will it be more effective, if the seeds is taken early in the morning in empty stomach like raw seeds, powdered form or soaked one.. Please give me your suggestions. She is not a diabetic

I am not sure how effective eating fenugreek seeds is for controlling dandruff. But you can give it a try. Soak fenugreek seeds along with curd and few curry leaves for an hour hour and take in the morning. My mom used to give this blend when I was younger for hair growth...

I have dandruff problem for more than 3 yrs and i can't able take away it from my hair here u have given lot of suggestion by using fenugreek seeds can u able to tell in this which one u will be suggesting me to get relief from dandruff.. u advice is really helpful for me so please